Paste tube holder and closure



- J y F. M. GROEDEL 2,324,575

PSTE TUBE HOLDER AND CLOSURE Filed July 11,1941 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS P tent-Am 20, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PASTE HOLDER AND CLOSURE Franz M. Groedel, New York, N. Y. Application July 11 1941, Serial N0. 401,999 'Claims'. (01. 45-28) The present invention is concerned more especlally with paste tubes such as tubes for toothpaste, shaving cream, cold cream, ointment and the like. a

There are many objections to the screw. cap commonly used on such paste tubes. Such screw cap is frequently dropped and sometimes is lost in the drain of the wash basin; commonly the thread on the tube becomes stripped when the cap is forcefully applied by the mechanically un-' skilled user, so that it does not seal the contents effectively, and at best the application and removal of the screw cap even by a deft fingered or mechanically skilled person is somewhat time consuming; moreover the tube takes up valuable space in a cramped medicine chest.

Among the objects of the invention are to obviate all of the foregoing common difficulties and in particular to dispense with the need for the cap, once a fresh tube is put into use; and to render possible instant and effective closure of the tube, and instant opening thereof, without the need for any screwing or threading operation and to render the paste tube more readily accessible for use without taking up the valuable shelf space used up by a paste tubewhen laid in a medicine chest.

In the accompanying drawing in which are shown oneor more various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

the back. The face of the back wall may be cylindricallyconcaveasat l5.

Rising from the middle of the base I! is a rigid stud l G desirably tapering upward and slop-- ing rearward somewhat by extending generally at right angles to the rearwardly inclined base. The unit may he stood upon a shelf or if desired attached to the wall by a nail or other suitable fastener (not shown) extending through an aperture l1 near the thinned upper edge of the unit.

In use the cap of the fresh paste tube may be discarded and the mouth l8 of the tube simply telescoped over the stud 16 as best shown in Fig. 2. Said stud will thus snugly plug the bore of the tube opening and seal the same to prevent escape of the contents or entry of foreign matter. The

tube by its frictional hold upon the stud is supported in inverted position and the length thereof accommodated by the generally cylindrical concavity l5 0f the back I3. Thetube is instantly available for use by merely lifting it off the stud Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a view in longitudinal cross-section thereof taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing a paste tube mounted in place thereon,

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of another emembodiment, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the invenbase having a horizontal bottom I!) and a back i wall having a vertical rear face II.

The top 12 of the base illustratively slopes downward from the front and merges with the face l3 of the back wall which slopes up rearwardly from the base.

Desirably the unit is rounded as at ll atthe junction between the top of the base and the face of I6, and after use it may be conveniently closed and. held in place by simply telescoping its mouth over the stud I 6. Added shelf space is thus made available and the nuisance of manipulating or dropping the screw cap or of stripping the thread of the tube are obviated.

Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the construction as made of a unitary strip of sheet metal bent to form a supporting base 20, a narrow upstanding forward ledge 2| and a back member22, the root 23 of which curves dow nward fromthe front ledge 2| and thence upward into agenerally cylindrical concave stem 24. The upper extremity of the back has a short downwardly extending flange 25 with a key aperture 26 therethrough from which the same may be mounted on the wall by means of a suitable headed fastener (not shown) if desired, although it may be rested upon its base 20.

Unitary with the curved root 23 or if desired attached thereto by welding or soldering in place is the tapered stud 21. 1

The ceramic unit might, if desired, be of the face dimensions of a bathroom tile so that it may be embodied as part of the standard equipment of the bathroom. Since such tiles generally are broader than the embodiment of Fig. 1 as forinstance shown in the tile 3|! of Fig. 4 the base thereof would ordinarily be equipped with two or more of the upstanding studs for accommodating toothpaste shavingcream, ointment or the like in conveniently accessible relation. The unit in any of its embodiments might of course be provided-withtwo or' more suitably spaced studs for the risers.

mounting a corresponding number of paste tubes of the type commonly used in bathrooms.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4, a bathroom tile 30 'is shown with a unitary more or less conventional soap tray 3| formed as a unit therewith. The soap tray is shown with a relatively broad rim 32 which rim illustratively has lateral risers 33 the faces 34 of which slope rearwardly to the upper edge of the tile. Spaced somewhat from the bases of the risers, the unitary tapered studs 35 rise therefrom. Desirably the rim of the tray slopes rearward slightly near the risers, as at 31, and the studs are at right angles thereto and accordingly slope rearward substantially parallel with the face 34 of the risers. It will be understood that the mouth of the paste tubes telescoped over the studs 35 in the manner shown in Fig. 2 would extend upward along the faces of The riser face may becylindrically concave as at 36 for accommodating the curvature of the tube.

It will be understood, that while the studs in most embodiments are made as a unitary integral part of the combined tube support and closure,

it is within the scope of the invention to make such studs of a separate piece of metal or the like permanently afiixed within the support.

While the invention finds its preferred application for paste tubes of the type used for cosmetic or toilet purposes it will be understood that the invention is by no means limited to such use. The invention could be applied to a horizontal bracket for use in a kitchen refrigerator to accommodate food paste tubes such as anchovie paste, sandwich paste spreads, etc.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A combined paste tube closure and support, comprising a generally angle-shaped molded bracket including a horizontal base having an upper surface inclined downward from the front, a vertical back unitary therewith and extending upwardly from the rear of said base for the height of the paste tube and having an inclined front wall, said base having an upwardly inclined tapered stud molded as a unit therewith and rising therefrom with its axis generally parallel to the front wall of said back, whereby the mouth of a paste tube may be telescoped over said stud for closing the same and supporting the tube in inclined position extending generally upward along said back.

2. A combined paste tube closure and support, comprising a unitary bracket shaped member having a horizontal base and a back wall unitary therewith, the upper face of said base sloping downward toward the back wall, the forward face of said rear wall sloping rearward from the bottom to the top thereof, said base having a tapered stud rigid therewith rising from the middle thereof at right angles to the upper face of saidbase, with its axis extending generally parallel to the front wall of said back, whereby the mouth of a paste tube may be telescoped over said stud for closing the same and supporting the tube in inclined position and extending generally upward along said back, said bracket-shaped member including a vertical portion at the upper end of its back from which it may be suspended from a wall.

3. A combined paste tube holder and closure comprising a Lmitary sheet metal bracket shaped member including a horizontal base, an upstanding wall inclined to the vertical rising from the front of said base and curved at its lower end, a unitary tapered stud rising from said curved forward end, the upstanding wall having a short downwardly extending flange with a key aperture therethrough from which the holder may be mounted on the wall by means of a suitably headed fastener.

4. A combined paste tube holder and closure comprising a bathroom tile having unitary therewith an upwardly sloping protruding ledge, and an upwardly tapering stud unitary with said ledge and at right angles thereto and over which the open ,mouth of a paste tube may be telescoped for supporting the same in position, said tile presenting a concavity lengthwise of and serving to accommodate the curvature of the tubev 5. As an article of manufacture, a bathroom tile having unitary therewith a forwardly protruding ceramic soap tray presenting a broad rim sloping downwardly from front to rear and risers extending upward and inclined rearward from the rear of said rim, said rim having upstanding rearwardly inclined tapered studs near said risers and adapted to have telescoped thereover the open mouths of paste tubes, said risers being concave to accommodate. the curvature of the tubes.

FRANZ M. GROEDEL. 

